People who reached state pension age before 6 April 2019

State retirement pension is paid to you if you reached state pension age before 6 April 2019 and you have paid National Insurance contributions (NICs) in the Isle of Man during your working life. If you reach state pension after 6 April 2019 you should claim Manx State Pension.

State pension age

See the downloadable documents opposite for your state pension age.

Read Leaflet RM2 for more information about changes brought in from 6 April 2019.

Categories of State retirement pension

• Category A is based on your NICs or, in respect of certain divorces and civil partnership dissolutions, on the NICs of your former spouse or civil partner.
• Category B is payable to married women, civil partners, widows and widowers based on the NICs of their spouse or civil partner; and
• Category D is a non-contributory pension payable to certain people who reached age 80 before 6 April 2016.

Basic qualifying condition for people reaching state pension age on or after 6 April 2016

To qualify for State retirement pension you must have paid, or be treated as having paid, in the Isle of Man:

• at least 50 Class 1, Class 2 or Class 3 NICs before 6 April 1975; or
• at least 50 Class 2 or Class 3 NICs or earned 50 times the lower earnings limit in any one tax year in the 3 years between 6 April 1975 and 5 April 1978 and paid Class 1 NICs on those earnings; or
• 52 Class 2 or Class 3 NICs or earned 52 times the lower earnings limit in any one tax year from 6 April 1978 and paid Class 1 NICs on those earnings.

To qualify for a 100% Category A State retirement pension you need to have at least 30 qualifying years in the Isle of Man in your working life. 'Qualifying years' are those in which you have paid or been credited with enough NICs for State retirement pension purposes.

A reduced rate pension will be paid if you have less than 30 qualifying years (but at least 1 qualifying year) in your working life.

Different rules apply if you reached state pension age before 6 April 2016.

Pension amounts

State retirement pension consists of:

• Basic Pension - based on the number of IOM qualifying years you have in your working life. You need at least 30 qualifying years for a full (100%) basic pension.
• Additional Pension (AP) - based on your earnings since 6 April 1978, provided you were not contracted-out of SERPS (State Earnings Related Pension Scheme) or since April 2002 the State Second Pension (S2P).
• Graduated Retirement Benefit - based on the NICs you paid between 6 April 1961 and 5 April 1975.

See Benefits Rates for more information about how much an eligible individual could receive.

Pension top-up

Pension top-up is paid to certain people who reach state pension age on or after 6 April 2016 who get both an IOM and a UK state pension because they paid or were credited with National Insurance contributions (NICs) (or are treated as such) in the IOM and the UK.

You can get a pension top-up if the total amount of IOM and UK state pensions you get added together, is less than the amount of IOM state pension you would have got if you had reached state pension age before 6 April 2016. In both cases ‘IOM state pension’ includes any Manx Pension Supplement.  Read PTU2 - Pension top-up for more information.

Applying for State retirement pension

Contact us to ask for an RP1 claim form.

The claim form should be completed and returned, with your birth certificate (and, if appropriate, marriage certificate in the case of a woman) to us as soon as possible.

Payment

Your State retirement pension can be paid every 4 weeks directly into your bank or building society account or you can collect it in cash each week at a Post Office using a Micard.

UK state pensions

If you have paid or been credited with NICs in the United Kingdom (or if you are treated as such) you will need to make a separate claim for your UK state pension.

Read Leaflet RM2 for more information.